1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of supermarket merchandise check-out systems, and particularly, relates to a supermarket check-out counter incorporating means to automatically envelop purchased items within a plastic bag at the time of check-out.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Supermarket type stores have long been popular in the United States and elsewhere wherein a large volume of groceries and other items have been assembled within a single structure for low-cost vending to a great number of purchasers. It is contemplated that most customers will purchase considerable quantities of fruits, vegetables and packaged items during each visit to the supermarket and accordingly, elongated check-out counters have been developed by prior workers in the art. This enables the shopper to unload the items to be purchased upon the counter from a shopping cart in order to allow a clerk to check each item and to calculate the total bill for the entire purchase.
Various types of check-out counters have been designed and these prior art check-out counters include improvements and work-saving features such as conveyor belts, laser scanners, automatic weighing devices and the like. While the various construction features may vary from counter to counter, it is an inherent operation at each check-out counter that the merchandise purchased must be placed into some type of container to allow the customer to easily remove the purchased materials from the supermarket upon completion of the transaction. Accordingly, so far as is known to the present applicant, each check-out counter includes some type of packaging facility to permit the check-out clerk to place the purchased items within one or more plastic or paper bags. The loading of the numerous purchased articles by the clerk into the individual bags requires a considerable amount of time and effort on the part of the clerk, thereby slowing down the check-out procedure and increasing labor costs to the operators of the supermarkets.
Numerous workers in the art have attempted to improve the bagging and check-out procedures, but to date, despite these improvements, the loss of time at the check-out counter remains a major problem that must be overcome. Sparks, U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,586 shows a bagging and check-out counter system having a flat deck and which is provided with a bag dispenser. Schohl, U.S. Pat. No. 3,715,862 shows a check-out counter which includes a vacuum system to automatically hold a bag open to allow the clerk to load the bag.
Chesnut, U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,091 shows a supermarket check-out counter having an automatic bagging arrangement to facilitate the bag loading operations. Nestler, U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,338 teaches a supermarket check-out counter wherein a plurality of sheet plastic bags are maintained in nested condition and wherein the bags are formed from a roll of sheet plastic material. Busch, U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,662 teaches the use of a bag handling apparatus at the check-out counter which is designed to hold the mouth of the bag open for loading purposes.
Despite these and other efforts by prior workers in the field to enhance the supermarket check-out system, the need remains to provide an improved apparatus which is capable of filling or loading a container in a manner to save the time of the counter clerk.